Golf, although not recognised as a high impact sport, can still cause many injuries throughout the body due to the rotational stresses which occur through the body during the gold swinging action. When it comes to your golf swing, if your posture isn’t quite right then it can put tremendous amounts of stress through the body. This stress can result in pain and restriction to the injured area – affecting your overall performance when playing.

There are five injuries that are most commonly occur as a result of golf. These injuries are as follows:

Back Pain

Rotator Cuff Injury

Golfers Elbow

Knee Pain and Damage

Tendinitis in the wrists

During a game of golf, you spend hours hunched over your golf club in order to get that perfect swing. In doing this, it can put a lot of rotational stresses on your back which can build up to result in severe back pain, in particular, in the lower back & thoracic region. If restrictions are present in the lower back and thoracic spine, this can cause compensatory discomfort between your shoulder blades muscles.

If you are struggling with any form of back pain, get in touch with our team of professionally trained physiotherapists in Cambridge today.

Injuries to the rotator cuff is a common injury to affect golfers. The rotator cuff is comprised of four distinct muscles which provide strength and stability to the shoulder. The shoulder joint is the most unstable joint in the body to allow the large degree of movement in the arm for hand function. It, therefore, relies on the rotator cuff muscles to confer stability to the joint, while also providing this movement – hence it’s vulnerability in the golf swing if the technique is poor and the repetitious action of the swing.

Elbow and wrist pain can be very common in golfers and is often due to poor technique, over-gripping action and repetitive stress forces through the tendons. Problems can arise on the inside of the elbow (medial epicondylitis), more commonly known as ‘golfers elbow’. However, inflammation and stress can also arise on the outer forearm tendons of the elbow, (lateral epicondylitis), more commonly referred to as ‘tennis elbow’. If the trial arm elbow during a swing impact with the ball or ground it can cause a jarring action which reverberates the mechanical stress to the elbow tendons. This mechanical stress and loading build up over time leading to micro-tearing and inflammation of the tendons and pain. Similar stresses around the wrist can also occur leading to tendonitis in the wrist and wrist joint pain. This is often due to poor wrist gripping technique and poor wrist action during swinging such as flicking action of the wrist on ball impact.

When stabilising the rotation of the hip axis during that perfect swing, it results in you putting a lot of stress on your knees. Knee injuries differ in type and severity, however, should you be experiencing any abnormal pain in your knees then get in touch with your local physiotherapist today. At UK Physio, our physiotherapists in Cambridge will treat your knee pain with proven techniques and teach you how to prevent further injury in the future.

How Does Physiotherapy Help Your Golf Game?

There are many reasons how physiotherapy can improve your golfing performance. Engaging in physiotherapy sessions will help you train your body to endure the impact golf can put on you.

In order to help you improve your golf performance, a physiotherapist will carry out an initial assessment. In the assessment, your physiotherapist will obtain ask you lots of questions about your condition, and this will help them form an initial hypothesis about what is causing the pain. The next part of the assessment will involve a physical examination of which comprises a serious of muscle, joint and resistance tests with movement analysis to form a correct diagnosis. Your physiotherapist will then discuss these findings with you and formulate a treatment plan to help reduce your pain and return you to full health and back on the golf course as soon as possible.

Typically, there are four stages a physiotherapist will go through when helping golfers.

Stage One: Screening

Stage one is Screening. During this stage, your physio will do a screening of your posture, functional movement, joint motion, muscle strength and previous injuries and weaknesses you have. In doing this, the physiotherapist can understand the useful information that they will use for your rehabilitation.

Stage Two: Treatment

Stage two is Treatment. Our physiotherapy clinic in Cambridge has professionally trained physiotherapists who can treat a variety of injuries by engaging with a large selection of techniques. These include manual therapy, soft tissue massage, acupuncture, electrotherapy, posture, manual handling advice and strengthening and conditioning programmes.

Stage Three: Strength & Conditioning

Stage three is Strength & Conditioning. These strength and conditioning programmes are created specifically to your requirements and enable you to have the best possible recovery. The programme will assist you in preventing future injury and will allow you to develop good movement patterns and strengthen your core.

Stage Four: Injury Prevention

Stage four is Injury Prevention. The injury prevention is a detailed analysis of ways to prevent injury during golf. This will include warm-up and cool-down exercises to ensure that the muscles are warm before you start playing and are stretched afterwards. Stretching after exercise is very important as it loosens the muscles and prevents you from pulling a muscle.

Summary

There are many potential areas for injury when playing golf. Poor posture and incorrect golf swing techniques can be causing your body, in particular, your joints, muscles and tendons a great deal of stress and pressure leading to injuries.

The most common golf injuries are back pain, rotator cuff injury, golfers elbow, knee pain and tendon/soft tissue injuries. These injuries are likely to occur due to the repetitive swinging of the golf club, as well as the power that is put into the swing; causing strain on your muscles and joints.

The injuries can easily be treated by a professional physiotherapist, and you will be provided with a rehabilitation plan that will assist you in understanding how to prevent injuries in the future. The plan will condition and strengthen your muscles, tendons and joints to ensure that you remove the risk of future injury.

A physiotherapist will take you through four stages when assessing your injuries. These stages are Screening, Treatment, Strength & Conditioning and Injury Prevention. All four areas will enlighten your view on the physical implications of golf and how you can train your body to become more resilient to the effects.

What is a Sprained Ankle?

A sprained ankle is the overstretching of the ligaments in your ankle. Ankle sprains can vary in severity, from mild injuries such as a twisted or rolled ankle through to severe injuries such as ligament ruptures, avulsion fractures or broken bones.

What are the Causes of a Sprained Ankle?

So, what actually causes ankle sprains? Commonly, an ankle sprain occurs when the foot suddenly twists or rolls, forcing the ankle joint to move out of its normal position. During physical activity, the ankle may twist inward due to an unexpected or sudden movement. When this happens, it can cause one or more ligaments around the ankle to stretch or tear; resulting in a sprained ankle.

Symptoms to Look Out For

There are specific characteristics to look out for that indicate an ankle sprain. There will be some swelling or bruising around the ankle as a result of the ligament tears. In addition to this, you may also feel some pain and discomfort when placing weight on the affected area.

There are some other symptoms you can look out for too. These symptoms are:

Tenderness

Pain

Inability to weight bear

Skin discolouration

Stiffness

If you find that you are experiencing some of these symptoms, get in touch with UK Physio today. Our physiotherapy clinic in Basingstoke has a team of experienced physiotherapists who will advise and help rebuild the strength in your ankle.

The Treatment for an Ankle Sprain

There are multiple ways that you can treat a sprained ankle yourself at home. With minor sprains, it is recommended to wear a brace support on your ankle and keep it elevated. This will help keep the ankle still, supported and reduce swelling due to the compression of the support.

To accompany this, applying an ice pack to the ankle three to four times a day for about 20 minutes will help with the reduction of pain, swelling and bruising. Typically, those who have an ankle injury seek physiotherapy to help rebuild the strength, functionality and mobility of the ankle. At UK Physio, we have a team of professionally trained physiotherapists in Cambridge who will carry out the proven treatments to increase the healing of an injured ankle.

Recovering with Physiotherapy

Engaging in physiotherapy is an excellent way to rehabilitate an ankle sprain as it restores the motion, strength and stability of the joint. Your physiotherapist may carry out a treatment called ‘Joint Mobilisation’. This helps to improve the normal joint motion by restoring the natural gliding motion between the ankle bones. In doing this, the physiotherapist will help enhance the mobility and speed up the healing of your ankle after a sprain.

Damage to the lateral ankle ligament structure is one of the most common injuries in the ankle to sportsmen and women and will usually involve a twisting inward of the foot causing a forcible stretch to the ligaments beyond their normal levels of load. This overstretching and load to the ligament can then lead to small tears and disruption to the dense bands of fibrous collagen connective tissue which form the ligament structure. It is an extremely common injury for a variety of dynamic sports including football, netball, rugby, hockey as well as many other sports due to the rapid dynamic twisting motions the ankle joint will sustain during these sports.

A ‘Grade I’ is a mild ligament tear with minor disruption and damage to the collagen ligament fibres and usually one could expect to recover from this injury in a few weeks and return to playing at full competitive level. More serious injuries are ‘Grade II’ which is a moderate tear of the ligament fibres which can take up to 6-8 weeks to heal. Finally, a ‘Grade III’ injury is classified as a complete rupture, which is a very significant injury taking typically 3-6 months to recover from, and in some cases up to 12 months.

If you are involved in a bad sprain at high force, and you are unable to weight bear afterwards with significant swelling immediately, there may be more extensive damage, and it is best in these cases to visit A&E to get an x-ray to rule out a fracture.

Any acute ankle sprain should follow in the first 72 hours after injury the ‘PRICE’ regime of Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation to help reduce swelling, internal bleeding and pain. A physiotherapy rehabilitation regime which will involve restoring full joint range of movement, reducing any swelling and pain through electrotherapy and specific massages to the ligament to promote prevention of scar tissue formation and aid healing of the ligament with correct fibre alignment. Once this has been achieved, and healing is well underway, careful, progressive loading and functional exercises will help to build strength and stability to aid a swift return to engage in physical activities. At UK Physio we have a team of expert physios on hand to help you improve the strength of your ankle to allow you to participate in your chosen activity.

There is a technique called ‘taping’ which your physiotherapist may use to aid in the healing of your ankle. After carrying out a selection of strengthening and mobility exercises, your physiotherapist may engage in a taping method to provide your ankle with additional support after your session. In doing this, the tape will help improve ankle functions such as the range of motion, motor coordination and help activate stability. The tape will be applied as soon as the swelling has decreased and it will be wrapped around the ankle in a specific way to ensure that the injured area is well supported.

Summary

So, from this, we can understand that spraining your ankle is a very common injury and it can vary in severity. If your ankle is causing you some discomfort, there are some symptoms you can look out for. These include physical changes such as swelling, bruising and skin discolouration; alongside this, you are likely to experience an increased amount of pain and may have difficulty applying weight to the affected area.

If you are suffering from an ankle ligament sprain and you are keen to get back to health and function as soon as possible, it is recommended to book in with an expert physiotherapist to assess the damage and treat the injury appropriately. Delaying treatment can delay your recovery and causes compensations to other areas of the body. At UK Physio our team of highly trained and experienced physiotherapists are on hand to get you back to function as soon as possible. If you are in Cambridge and are in need of expert treatment why not get in touch.

https://ukphysioclinics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/how-physiotherapy-can-help-recovering-from-an-ankle-sprain.jpg9171920Ed McHughhttps://ukphysioclinics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Website-Logo-V1-300x126.pngEd McHugh2018-07-05 10:22:262018-09-05 11:00:58How can Physiotherapy Help with Recovering from an Ankle Sprain?

The knee is a complex joint and the largest in the human body; being made up of two joints, ligaments, bones and muscles. The upper and lower bones of the knee are separated by two discs, often known as ‘menisci’. The bones above and below the knee are connected by a selection of ligaments, tendons and muscles. Supporting this, the joint is covered by articular cartilage which absorbs shock and provides a smooth gliding surface for joint movement. This complexity allows us to have full movement and mobility in our legs, as well as participating in vigorous exercises that push the limits of the body.

If the knee gets injured, it can have an adverse effect on other parts of your body, potentially causing additional injuries. These injuries are likely to occur in the leg due to the connection of the muscles and ligaments.

What Sort Of Knee Injuries Can You Get?

There are many types of injuries that you can obtain through overuse, work-related tasks, sports/recreational activities or home tasks. It’s likely that at some point in your life, you’ll experience some form of knee injury whether that be a minor injury or a major one. It’s most common to get an acute injury perhaps from twisting, bending or falling on the knee; during this nerves or blood vessels may be pinched or damaged resulting in the lower leg feeling numb and tingly.

These injuries can occur due to either a weakened knee, sudden injury or by an underlying condition such as arthritis. The injury will vary depending upon the cause and as a result, so will the treatment. Should you find that your knee has been causing you a significant amount of discomfort, get in touch with a physiotherapist in Cambridge today for a diagnosis.

Overuse of the knee can occur due to repeated, prolonged pressure on the knee or repetitive activities such as stair climbing, jogging or jumping. Each of these has a large impact on the knee and causes stress in the joints and surrounding tissue; leading to inflammation.

Injuries caused by overusing the knee are as follows:

Tendinitis (inflammation of the tendons)

Plica Syndrome (thickening/folding of the knee ligaments)

Bursitis (inflammation of the sacs of fluid that cushion and lubricate the knee)

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (pain in the front of the knee caused by overuse, excess weight or problems in the kneecap)

Iliotibial Band Syndrome (inflammation of the band of fibrosis tissue running down the outside of the thigh)

A UK Physio trained physiotherapist will take a full history of your knee pain, followed by a comprehensive physical examination. This will help to form an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment plan which may consist of strengthening exercises to address muscle imbalances, soft tissue therapy, taping, or joint mobilisations. If you’re looking for physio in Cambridge to help improve your knee injury, then get in touch with UK Physio and speak to one of our professionally trained physiotherapists today.

How Does Physiotherapy Help Knee Injuries?

So, the real question is, how can physiotherapy help prevent knee injuries? The answer is simple – there are many ways it can help reduce pain and improve the condition of a knee injury.

Getting physiotherapy on your knee can have a significant impact on pain reduction. During a physiotherapy session, your therapist may carry out some massage techniques. During this, endorphins are naturally released into the body to help minimise the discomfort in the knee. As the muscles and tendons around the knee are manipulated, any congestion of metabolic irritants is reduced allowing the muscles to relax. Furthermore, this eliminates the pressure upon the knee and enables the pain to be relinquished.

Engaging in regular physiotherapy sessions will not only help reduce pain, but it will improve the mobility of the knee and flexibility of the leg. With overuse or participation in a strenuous physical activity, the muscles in the knee will begin to seize up and become stiff. Typically, this will result in an injury such as a sprain/strain or ligament injury. Physiotherapy from an experienced physiotherapist will relieve this stiffness in the knee as the tension in muscles is released, and they begin to relax, limiting the stress upon the joints in the knee.

Finally, physiotherapy on your knee will help you in rebuilding the muscle around the joints. The muscles in the knee need to be strong as they will be assisting the support of the tendons, ligaments and kneecap. Weak muscles will result in lower amounts of support, which in turn, can result in further injuries to the knee or leg. By manipulating the muscles through massage, it causes them to soften and loosen up. With the muscles soft and relaxed, this is the best time to carry out gentle exercises on the knee to help rebuild the damaged tissue. From doing this, the knee will be strengthened, improving the condition of the initial injury. As well as this, it will help avoid further injury in future, as long as the treatment is respectfully continued.

How Regularly Should You Have Physiotherapy?

There isn’t necessarily a specific time frame in which you should be having physiotherapy. However, if you find that you are struggling with recurring muscle or joint pains, or need assistance rehabilitating from an injury, then a schedule should be made with your physiotherapist. Commonly, every four to six weeks is a reasonable interval between each appointment. However, bear in mind that the regularity in which you have physiotherapy will vary based on the seriousness of the injury. For a professionally recommended schedule, get in touch with a physiotherapist in Cambridge for an initial assessment and a specific treatment plan for your injury.

Summary

Overall, physiotherapy is incredibly beneficial for knee injuries. The manipulation of the muscles, tendons and tissues allows the pressure on the knee to be released as the muscles soften and relax. With sudden, acute injuries such as a sprain or ligament damage, physiotherapy will assist with the rehabilitation of the damage. Additionally, injuries caused through overuse could benefit from a course of physiotherapy sessions to provide the knee with time to rest and recover, as well as time to rebuild the strength of the damaged muscles and ligaments.

Sports are a huge part of our lives. Whether you are an elite athlete or recreational participant, sport can bring many benefits, not only from the physical activity itself but also the social benefits of meeting with friends and the comradery sport can bring. Our physiotherapist in Cambridge will treat your sporting injuries and show you the best ways to avoid them.

Although we have outlined the many benefits of sport, it is important to recognise that sport does involve many risks to injuring our bodies. Some of these risks include direct trauma from the sport itself, injury from not preparing for exercise and warming up correctly, risks from not being in the physical shape and condition for the sporting demands placed on the body, or incorrect or poorly fitting equipment and clothing increasing the risks of being injured.

Some of the above risks are out of our control when playing sport, such as getting injured from a tackle in football. However, there are some things in our control to help mitigate the risk of getting injured due to how we prepare for playing a sport which is outlined below:

Before Exercising

Before commencing exercise, there are some key principles that are recommended to help us prepare our body for exercising and the demands it will place on our bodies.

Below are some recommended ways to warm up before participating in your sport.

Warm-Up

The main aim of a warm-up is to prepare your body for the sport by means of increasing the body temperature and the heart rate, which both serve to increase blood flow to the muscles. A thorough warm-up should be progressive in intensity and be sports specific and will include a mixture of cardiovascular drills, static stretching progressing to dynamic stretching and then higher intensity sport specific drills.

Stretching

Static stretching alone is not recommended as a preparation for exercise without incorporating a warm-up for the muscles prior to stretching. It is more important that the stretching is functional to the demands of the sport and is therefore dynamic in nature. This type of stretching not only improves joint flexibility but improves the body’s readiness for exercise.

Maintain Fitness

If you’re an active person who takes part in a specific sport on a regular basis, it is highly beneficial to maintain your fitness outside of the sport. This can be achieved by a conditioning exercise either with weights, circuit training or aerobic cardiovascular training. This will improve your strength, endurance and most importantly, it will improve your capability for exercising and competing in your sport.

By building up your muscles you’re not only improving your physical strength, but you are developing your physical ability. Muscles will protect joints to prevent them from getting damaged. For example, building up the muscle around your knee will help make the joint stronger and cushion any impact upon the knee, such as falling or landing heavily on one foot.

During Exercise

Even though you’re exercising, there are still areas that you need to bear in mind to ensure that you don’t damage your body.

Stay Hydrated

An athlete’s performance will be seriously affected by dehydration, therefore keeping our bodies hydrated before, during and post-exercise is of crucial importance. A lack of fluid during a sporting exercise results in your body having to work harder in order to perform. Negative repercussions can occur such as overheating. With minimal water in our systems, our body will struggle to produce sweat to cool us down; further resulting in us overheating.

Wearing the Correct Equipment and Clothing

Wearing the appropriate equipment and clothing when participating in a sporting activity will help to reduce the risk of injury. This can be as simple as wearing the correct shoes for the sport and replacing when worn, to having the correct protective padding for cricket. It is of vital importance that we check our footwear for signs of wear and tear and replace any worn footwear, clothing equipment or sporting equipment that could be faulty. These factors can not only limit our sporting performance but also increase the risk of injury to ourselves and others.

Know Your Limits

When taking up a sport or physical activity, it is always good to understand your limits. Taking up a sport not knowing what your physical limitations are can have repercussions later down the line when your body starts to struggle to keep up with you. Forcing your body to do something it physically can’t, may result in injuries such as pulling or straining muscles. It is also worth noting that if you haven’t undertaken a strenuous activity for a while, that you will need to get back into it slowly. This is necessary because you will need to build up your strength and stamina again to be able to cope with the physical pressures the sport demands.

Take Breaks

Taking regular breaks during exercise will give your body and mind the time to relax. During exercise our bodies naturally get tired, but the key is to notice when your body has had enough. Our minds are incredibly strong and will always fight and encourage us to do more; however, it is important that you listen to what your body is saying and exercise accordingly. When our bodies reach the point of physical exhaustion, our minds will continue to push the body to perform. At this stage, the body is vulnerable to injury. Make sure you take a break to rest your mind and body.

After Exercise

At the end of a session, there are a couple of factors that should be taken into account. The cooldown after exercise is just as important as the warm-up yet most people skip by it.

Cool Down Stretch

A proper cool-down will involve a mixture of gentle cardiovascular drills as well as gentle stretching. Stretching after exercising allows your muscles to relax and reduces muscle soreness, though it is important not to stretch to the full range after strenuous exercise as this risks further damaging the muscle fibres that have been exerted during the sporting activity. For those who are more ardent athletic competitors wanting to go the extra mile to help our bodies recover after exercise, an ice bath can be just the ticket. Ice bathing works to reduce inflammation caused by micro-trauma in the muscle fibres during strenuous exercise causing the blood vessels to constrict and aid healing. This type of recovery is known as Cryotherapy. Applying ice to the injured part of the body can help the healing process of any acute injuries or traumas an athlete has obtained from a sport.

Rest Days

Taking at least one day off a week from exercise is essential to give your body the opportunity to recover from a strenuous exercise. This actually benefits you both physically and mentally. Constantly doing something stops your mind from relaxing and can make you stressed without realising it. Our bodies need time to recover in order to work to their full potential. So, ensure that you’re resting each week to give your body the chance to rejuvenate. Sports physiotherapy is an excellent way to help your body cool-down and it will provide your muscles with the opportune moment to relax.

Summary

Sports injuries are very common, but there are many ways in which the athlete can help to prevent them. Being conditioned and fit for your sport will help reduce the risk of injury, similarly, having the correct equipment in good working order will do the same. Injury risks can be reduced by adopting a thorough warm-up which is progressive according to the demands of the sport as well as being sports specific with dynamic stretching. Finally, injury risks in sport can be reduced by cooling down properly and how we use our bodies when we are not competing for the rest of the week.

“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do” – Pele

Do you often work out or exercise and find yourself aching? Have you pulled muscles whilst lifting heavy weights? Among other scenarios, these are some of the reasons that individuals may need a sports massage. In this article, we’ll be answering the question ‘What are the benefits of a sports massage?’.

What is Sports Massage?

A sports massage is the process of manipulating the muscles, connective tissue and the tendons fascia. It is a form of a deep tissue massage used to relieve the tension and restrictions that can build up as a result of undertaking repetitive and strenuous physical activities. Our physiotherapy clinic in Cambridge has a team of highly skilled professionals, experienced in relieving muscle pain.

The Benefits

Sports massages are a highly sort after form of sports recovery. The process of the massage enables both the muscle tissue and the connective tissue to relax, reducing pain and muscular tension.

1. Stronger Flow of Blood/Nutrients

Massaging the muscle tissue will stimulate the flow of blood, this massaging movement allows the blood vessels to open and dilate; letting the nutrients to be passed into the bloodstream significantly easier. These intense stroking movements help the flow through both the blood and lymph vessels. As muscles get tight and stiff, they act similarly to a sponge and squeeze blood out, further depriving the tissues of nutrients which can help to repair damaged tissues. The motion of stroking the muscles is an important part of the massage, allowing the damaged area to receive the appropriate nutrients and a healthy supply of oxygen.

2. Reduces Pain

When in pain our body will naturally release endorphins to help minimise any feelings of discomfort. Endorphins are a natural form of pain relief and can also be brought out through massage. By manipulating the muscles, any congestion of metabolic irritants will be reduced as the muscles relax. As well as this, muscle tension will be released, reducing any pain.

3. Promotes Relaxation

Having a good range of movement will help with the relaxation of muscles. Through sports massage, you can increase your range of motion, which in turn will give the muscles the opportunity to relax; providing them with more mobility. A poor range will result in having tight or tense muscles which can result in injury to muscle tissue. To improve this, a sports massage will help to warm up the muscles. Improving not only physical relaxation but mental relaxation too, due to the pain being restricted and drifting away.

4. Reduce Anxiety/Stress

Sports massages aren’t just for physical pain; they also help psychologically. In the brain, endorphins are released by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus. Alongside this, neurotransmitters are released which help to reduce anxiety and feelings of stress while also acting as a natural pain reliever and improving your mood.

5. Boosts Performance

A reduction in pain and looser muscles will allow you to have a stronger performance in your specific/chosen field or activity. It’s important to warm up your muscles before exercising as it relaxes them enabling them to become more mobile, allowing a stronger performance and reducing the risk of injury. Relaxing the muscles will offer you the opportunity to strengthen them further optimising your athletic performance.

6. Better Flexibility/Mobility

When exercising or enduring in strenuous activity muscles will tense up and get stiff. Due to this, it is very beneficial to ensure that you stretch the muscles you worked after your activity, giving them the opportunity to relax and ease up.

A massage works similarly to stretching as it will get in deep to the muscle, relaxing and softening it to improve mobility and flexibility.

7. Ease Sticky Bones

Sports massages can help to separate the muscle fibres that may have stuck to each other or to soft tissue that surrounds them. Occasionally, they can also stick to bones which reduces mobility and increases the amount of stiffness in the muscles. An excellent way to ease the stiffness of muscles and stop the muscle fibres sticking is to indulge in a sports massage to mobilise your muscle and soft tissues.

8. Reduces Metabolic Waste

As mentioned earlier, massaging muscles will increase the blood flow. As the blood flow is improved, continuing to massage the damaged area will help remove any metabolic waste products from the tissue. These products could be something such as lactates; removing them, it will help aid the recovery.

9. Fewer Impairments to Muscular Function

By removing the tension in the muscles, it helps to prevent further injuries. Tight muscles are unable to stretch which makes it harder to move freely. With stretched muscles, there is an increase in the blood flow which will enable a better flow of oxygen and nutrients that are essential for a healthy repair of damaged tissues and fibres.

Indulging in a sports massage will allow you to see if there are any areas of muscle or soft tissue that need attention. Knowing this, the physiotherapist can then help to strengthen the weak area to avoid it from breaking down further.

10. Reduces Muscle Tension

Our bodies will always be there for us, so it’s important that we respect them. If you are a physically active person, you may find that you could benefit from a sports massage. From massaging there will be a reduction in the amount of pain you feel in your muscles, allowing them to loosen and have an increased amount of flexibility.

11. Rehabilitation of an Injury

A massage will help to facilitate an injury. The process and nature of a massage will allow more oxygen to flow to the muscle tissue increasing the mobility. This flow of oxygen will allow the muscle to be nourished with the appropriate nutrients and be free from any knotted tension. Sports massages will help rebuild the strength in weaker muscles and tissues by warming up the muscles. Warming them up will increase mobility and assist in improving muscle flexibility.

12. Improves Your Mood

Massages release endorphins; they are a chemical in the brain that allows you to feel happy. They’re released with other chemicals such as dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin. During a massage, the flow of blood is increased enabling it to have a smoother flow. As a result, these chemicals are released into the system allowing you to feel more relaxed and happier.

Summary

Overall, sports massages have plenty of benefits both physically and psychologically. It has no niche market, further allowing it to be geared towards everyone. The technique of the massage is adapted to focusing on the areas that are overused from strenuous activities/movements.

Physically, a sports massage will promote a smoother flow of blood and nutrients, reduce pain and tension, and assist with the rehabilitation of an injury. This is all done through the process of manipulating the muscles to allow them to soften and relax.

Psychologically, it will benefit you as it helps to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. This occurs due to endorphins being released into your body, allowing you to feel happy and calm. From this, your mood will have improved as the pain is restricted.

UK Physio Clinics are based in various locations across the United Kingdom. If you need physiotherapy, get in touch with us today.